A regional publisher says it aims to give more people access to “locally reported news” after buying two radio stations on the same patch as covered by its newspapers.

DC Thomson has confirmed the acquisition of Kingdom FM and Original 106, which serve Fife and Aberdeenshire respectively.

The company previously bought Wave FM, which broadcasts in Dundee and Perth, in 2017.

DC Thomson, which publishes two daily newspapers in Aberdeen and two in Dundee, has described the acquisitions as “another strong step” in its strategy to “protect, launch and diversify”.

Mike Watson, chief executive officer for DC Thomson Media, said: “These acquisitions firmly position us as the largest Scottish owned radio group.

“We’re excited to have brought these two great stations in to our radio portfolio and look forward to working with the teams there to strengthen the offering to listeners, and provide them with quality local news content.”

As a result of the move, Original managing director Adam Findlay will join DC Thomson as head of radio.

At the same time, Kingdom FM chairman Robert Kilgour is “choosing to step away from radio”.

He said: “DC Thomson Media are the ideal buyers for the station as they clearly have an understanding of the market in which Kingdom operates, and can take the station to the next level.

“We believe that this acquisition is good for the Kingdom’s listening audience, for our advertisers and shareholders, and our very hardworking staff.”